Lighting means for automatic pianos and the like



. Oct. 26 1926.- 1,604,671

F. L. YOUNG LIGHTING Mingus FOR AUTOMATIC PIANOS AND THE LIKE Filed June15. 1923 IN VEN TOR A TTORNE Y Patented Oct. 26, 19.255.

FRANCIS I]. YOUNG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

asten cries.

ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COll/l'PAIWZ'v A LIGHTING MEANS FOR AUTOMATICPIANOS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed. June 15, 1923. Serial No. 645,571.

My present inventionrelates to improved lighting means for use inconnection with automatic pianos, organs, and the like, said lightingmeans in its preferred form shown in the drawings being adjustableeither into a position within the piano casing for illuminating theperforated music-sheet, or into an exterior position intended primarilyto illuminate printed sheet music on the music rack of the instrument aswhen playing it by hand.

In said drawings, Fig. 1 is a fore and aft cross-sectional view, partlyin elevation, of the upper front port-ion of an upright player pianoembodying my lighting means in its preferred form; Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the device as shown in Fig. 1 with the lamp means adjustable into itsinterior position within the piano casing; Fig. 3 is an en largedfragmentary detail view of part of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a still largerfragmentary detail view of part of Fig. 3 as seen from the line 44 insaid Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a section,partly in elevation, on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4 looking in the directionof the arrows; and Fig. 6 is the same on the line 6-6 in Fig. 3 lookingin the direction of the arrows.

Describing now my invention by reference to the specific devices of thedrawings, 1 is the front panel of an upright player piano; 2 is one endof the piano casing; 3 is the stationary portion of the top of saidcasing; and 4 is the hinged lid portion of said top, said lid beingindicated by the dotted lines with the hinge of said lid designated 5. 1is the usual rectangular opening through said front board or panel 1(adapted to be closed by the usual sliding doors, not shown), back ofwhich opening is located a box 8 containing and supporting the trackerbar 6 and the usual means (not shown) for operatively supporting theperforated musicroll 7 relatively to the tracker bar, all in the usualmanner, with the perforated musicsheet 7 moving down over said trackerbar during the automatic playing of the instrument.

So far, the foregoing is or may be only the usual upright player pianoconstruction, and I will now describe my lighting means as appliedthereto.

9-9 are a pair of metal arms or links swinging vertically about the pins10 10 forming part of the pieces 10 secured sta= tionarily to the endsof the box 8- at the upper front corners thereof, as shown in Figs. 1and 2. The free ends of said swinging arms 99 are connected by the metalrod 11. Pins 1212 project from the ends of the box 8 to engage andprevent the arms 9 from dropping below their substantially horizontalposition shown in Fig. 1.

The incandescent lamp 14 and reflector 15 are pivotally supported on therod 11 and at the same time are laterally slidable and adjustable onsaid rod by means as follows: 16 is a cylindrical metal band snuglysurrounding the lamp socket 17 and having a radial, outwardextension-piece 16% To said piece 16 is rigidly secured one end of aninverted V-shaped meta-l strip 18 whose other end is bent around andsecured on itself to form a cylindrical sleeve 18 (compare Figs. 8, 4and 5), which loosely surrounds another sleeve 19 slidable on the rod 11and adapted to be held stationarily in any desired position ofadjustment on said rod by means of a set screw 20 threaded through thewall of said sleeve 19.

The wall of the first named sleeve 18 is cut through to form a slot 18*extending circumferentially partly around same. 19 is a pin projectingradiallyoutward from the sleeve 19 and located between the sides of thesaid slot 18 whereby first the lampsupporting arm 18 can be swung by thesleeve 19 between the positions marked A. and B in Fig. 1, and will beupheld in either of said posit-ions by the pin 19 (Fig. 5) engaging therespective ends of the slot 18 and secondly, said sleeve 18 cannot worklaterally or endwise on the sleeve 19 out of the relative positionthereon shown in Fig. 4.

The flexible cord 21 (Fig. 2) for delivering the current to the lamp 14extends along the arm 18 through supporting eyes 2222 riveted to saidarm.

23 (Fig. 3) is a strip of felt extending along the underside of theright hand portion of the arm 18 and is held in place by the same rivetsthat securethe eye members 22 to the arm 18.

The reflector 15 (Figs. 8 and 6) is supported by arms 24 extendingradially from the sleeve 16.

In its A position (Figs. 1 and 2) the lamp is located inside the pianocasing above the box 8 and illuminates the perforated musicsheet 7*because the bt x has no top board or cover. In said A position, the arms99 rest on the pins 12-12 and the arm 18 is supported by the engagementof one end of the slot 18 (Fig. 5) with the pin 19 that projects fromthe sleeve 19, which latter in turn is secured to the rod 11 (Figs. 3and 4:) by the set screw 20.

On the other hand, to illuminate sheet music on the music rack restingagainst the front panel 1 of the piano, it is merely necessary to raisethe lid 1 (Fig. 1), swing the arm 18 about the sleeve 19 (Fig. 5) fromits A position in Fig. 1 to its B position, and then to lift the wholedevice so that the arms 9 9 swing upwardly about the pins 10 whereby thelamp is carried over the top of the panel 1 into position C (Fig. 1)outside of the piano in which position the felt 23 on the underside ofthe arm 18 rests on the top of the panel 1 without marring theinstrument, whereupon the lid 1 can be lowered into the dotted positionshown in Fig. 1.

ilms, I have provided a device for adjustably supporting an incandescentlamp in connection with a player piano which will illuminate sheet musicon the music rack when playing the instrument by hand or -will iluminate the music-roll for playing the instrument automatically.

Of course, changes can be made in the actual embodiment illustrative ofmy improvements as shown and described herein, which changes willnevertheless still be within the scope and spirit of my invention andwithin the scope and spirit of the annexed claims and as such areintended to be covered thereby.

IVhat I claim is:,

1. In an upright keyboard instrument playable by hand as well asautomatically from a perforated music-roll the combination of meansbehind the front panel of said instrument above the key-bed foroperatively supporting the perforated music-roll so that said roll canbe seen from the front of the instrument through an opening in saidfront panel; a lamp-supporting arm adapted to be extended horizontallyover the top of said front panel supporting a lamp exteriorly of theinstrument to illuminate sheet music for hand-playing supported at saidpanel; and means for supporting said arm from the interior of theinstrument operable to retract and lower said arm into a horizontalposition substantially the same as the above except that the lamp is nowlocated within the instrument operatively over the music-roll.

2. In an upright keyboard instrument playable by hand as well asautomatically from a perforated music-roll, the combination of meansbehind the front panel of said instrument above the key-bed foroperatively supporting the perforated music-roll so that said roll canbe seen from the front of the instrument through an opening in saidfront panel; a lamp-supporting arm adapted to be extended horizontallyover the top of said front panel supporting a lamp exteriorly of theinstrument to illuminate sheet music for hand-playing supported at saidpanel; a link pivotally connecting the rear end of said arm to a fixedsupport located near the back of said panel; and stop means preventingsaid link and arm from dropping below a position within the instrumentwherein the arm is located in a horizontal position substantially thesame as the above except that the lamp is now operatively located overthe music-roll.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this13th day of June A. D. 1923.

FRANCIS L. YOUNG.

